In their last three matches, Newcastle United have managed well without key goalkeeper Nick Pope, who is sidelined with a knee injury, thanks to less formidable opponents. The question remains whether they can succeed against Aston Villa, fresh off a victory over Manchester City, without him and several other sidelined defenders.
Without Nick Pope, Newcastle United secured back-to-back 4:0 wins over Leicester City and Ipswich Town, and they got past Brentford in the League Cup quarter-finals (3:1). Clean sheets are indeed rare for Newcastle: in the previous 15 league rounds, they achieved only three, with just one goalless draw (against Everton). The average number of goals conceded at St James' Park stands at exactly one.
Aston Villa continue to be somewhat erratic, but at least they have secured occasional victories, predominantly at Villa Park. On the road, however, it’s been mostly defeats: five in their last six away matches. Notably, in eight out of 12 away matches, both teams scored. Aston Villa failed to find the net only three times in these games. Two of those are understandable: firstly, against Chelsea (0:3), who have become much more balanced under Enzo Maresca, and secondly, at Liverpool (0:2), who often keep clean sheets at home. The loss to Club Brugge (0:1) happened during a downturn.
It's unlikely that Aston Villa will avoid conceding away from Birmingham. The exception being their match against Young Boys (3:0). For Newcastle United, with a defence thinned by injuries, a clean sheet seems unlikely. We'll simply bet on both teams to score.
